Lucien walked to the next item—it was a magic skill book. This time, it glowed faintly with a golden aura. It was a legendary skill book, its appearance marked by a golden cover adorned with a silver crescent design.
"Astral Aria: Canticle of the Silent Realms?" Lucien muttered under his breath. Then he added, "I'll learn this too—having an extra skill in my arsenal won't hurt. So far, I only have a healing spell, so this should definitely help."
Then he placed the book into his ring and walked toward the next item. This time, it was a cloak—white and silver, adorned with a design of golden wolf fangs. But Lucien didn't try it on; he needed to head back to camp now.
As Lucien was about to leave, he suddenly remembered one last thing—the gold. He walked to the center of the room, raised his hand, and let his ring absorb every piece of gold scattered throughout the chamber. Once it was all stored away, he turned and walked toward the door to finally take his leave.
As Lucien exited the room and walked toward the cave's entrance, he encountered the hunters again. But this time, only four of the original ten were still alive—the beast lay motionless on the ground. Just as he was about to leave, the leader of the group stepped in his path, stopping him. Lucien narrowed his eyes, calmly analyzing what remained of the group.
'Three of them are at the Disciple Stage, and the leader's in the mid-stage of Master. Not bad for a group that was hunting a Guardian-rank beast,' Lucien thought, finishing his analysis.
"I know you found something in there. You better hand it over, kid," the leader said, his voice laced with anger.
"And what if I don't?" Lucien said, his gaze turning cold and menacing.
The leader gritted his teeth, drawing his sword. "Then we'll take it from your dead body."
"You already lost most of your group fighting that beast. You really wanna gamble what's left of your limbs?" Lucien said.
One of the other hunters shouted, "Don't talk like you're untouchable!"
Lucien didn't respond. He just stared. Quiet. Still. Then they attacked. The three hunters rushed first, while the leader hung back. But Lucien didn't even draw his sword. He just moved—smooth, quiet, and fast. He dodged everything like he was dancing through the air, like their blades didn't matter at all.
One hunter swung a spear. Lucien tilted his head and stepped aside, then tapped the guy in the ribs. The man dropped instantly. Another tried to grab him from behind. Lucien ducked and spun, striking his neck with his hand. Out cold.
The third hesitated. Lucien didn't. He flashed forward, a quick strike to the pressure point on his shoulder. The man dropped without a word. Now only the leader was left, shaking with anger.
"You think you're better than us!?" he shouted.
Lucien walked forward slowly.
"No. I just don't waste motion."
The leader charged. Lucien dodged once, then struck the side of his neck with a chop. The man crumpled like the rest. Lucien stood there for a second, then turned around and started walking.
Lucien used his aura again to boost his speed, and in just a minute and a half, he reached the camp. He stepped out from the bushes quietly.
Before Lucien walked into the camp, he placed his coat and veiled hat into his ring. As he entered, many eyes turned toward him—some in shock, maybe seeing someone so handsome and majestic for the first time. Others looked at him with clear jealousy. As he continued walking, he was stopped by one of the knights.
"Hey you, who are you?!" The knight said in an arrogant tone.
Lucien just looked at him, like he was analysing the knight
The knight glanced at the men behind him—they were a bit farther back. He smiled at them, like he was silently saying he was about to humiliate Lucien in front of the blushing girls nearby. And said. "Pretty boy like you doesn't belong in a place like this. What, you think just 'cause you look good, you can walk around getting all that attention?" And then he added. "Who are you pretty boy?"
"Lucien Valtair." Lucien said simply. The air around him grew heavier for just a second. He didn't raise his voice. He didn't need to.
"Nice try," he said with a mocking laugh. "You think throwing the Lord's name around is gonna scare me? The real young master of House Valtair's supposed to be some thin-looking boy who never left his manor."
And then, the knight lunged forward, throwing a punch straight at Lucien's face.
Lucien didn't flinch. With one smooth motion, he caught the punch with his bare hand—effortlessly. The knight's eyes widened, realizing too late the strength behind that grip.
Then, without breaking a sweat, Lucien twisted and tossed him over his shoulder. The knight crashed to the ground hard, groaning in pain as dust scattered around him.
Before anyone could react further, a voice shouted from across the camp. "Young master—!"
Heads turned as Kalios came running over, breath slightly hurried. His eyes widened the moment he saw Lucien.
"There you are! I went back to the bathhouse to fetch you, but you vanished. It's already noon!" Kalios stopped in front of Lucien, clearly relieved and just a little annoyed.
Lucien gave a calm nod, saying nothing. The knight, still trying to recover from being thrown, pointed shakily at Lucien.
"H-He claimed to be Lucien Valtair—the young master! He's using the Lord's name!" The knight said.
Kalios frowned, then looked at the knight like he was talking nonsense.
"He didn't claim anything." Kalios stepped beside Lucien and placed a hand over his chest before bowing lightly, Kalios added. "He is Lucien Valtair. The rightful heir of House Valtair."
The air turned cold. Silence fell across the camp. The knight's face drained of color. His mouth hung open, the weight of his mistake crashing down like a stone.
Lucien didn't bother looking at him again. He simply turned and continued walking through the camp—composed, quiet, and utterly untouchable.
The knight dropped to one knee, head lowered. "Forgive me, Young Master… I didn't know. It was my mistake."
Lucien didn't even look at him. His voice came out cold and quiet. "Kalios. Discipline your men."
Kalios nodded without hesitation. "As you command, young master."
The knight flinched but said nothing more. The weight in the air was enough. Lucien walked past them, silent and untouchable. The camp watched—no one dared speak.